This was reported by Reuters, Ukrinform reported.

Nepal’s Minister of Communications and Information Technologies, Rekha Sharma, said that the decision to ban TikTok was taken at the Council of Ministers meeting. https://www.reuters.com/technology/nepal-govt-decides-ban-chinas-tiktok-ani-2023-11-13/

“Our colleagues are working on the technical closure of the facility,” said Sharma.

Nepal Telecommunication Authority Chairman Purushottam Khanal said internet service providers have been asked to shut down the app, adding that some have already complied with the government’s order.

Opposition leaders in Nepal criticized the move, saying it lacked “effectiveness, maturity and accountability”.

“There is a lot of unwanted material on other social networks as well. The thing to do is to regulate them, not restrict them,” said Pradeep Gyawali, a former foreign minister and one of the leaders of the Nepal Communist Party.

According to local media reports, more than 1,600 cases of cybercrime linked to TikTok have been reported in Nepal in the last four years.

TikTok has been partially or fully banned in some countries, with many citing security concerns.

India banned TikTok and dozens of apps from Chinese developers in June 2020 on the grounds that they could endanger national security.

Pakistan has banned the app at least four times, with the country’s government calling its content “immoral and obscene”.

As reported by Ukrinform, Somali authorities announced the ban of social networks TikTok and Telegram, as well as online betting platform 1XBet.

The state of Montana in the USA also banned TikTok. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a statewide ban to protect residents from allegations of Chinese intelligence gathering.